Annual maintenance contracts get pitched by a lot of vendors with very different scopes hiding behind the same three letters. Before signing one, it's worth knowing what a genuinely comprehensive AMC covers versus what's typically an add-on.
What a solid garden AMC includes
At minimum, a proper AMC should cover scheduled mowing and edging, weeding and bed maintenance, pruning and hedging, fertilising on a set schedule rather than "as needed," and basic pest monitoring. For properties with irrigation, routine system checks — looking for clogged drippers, leaks, and timer issues — should be built in, not billed as a separate callout every time.
What's usually excluded (and should be, in a fair contract)
Major replanting, hardscaping repairs, tree removal, and large-scale seasonal redesigns are typically scoped and quoted separately, since they're project work rather than routine upkeep. A contract that tries to bundle everything into one flat fee usually compensates by cutting corners somewhere else — be wary of AMCs priced well below the market for the visit frequency promised.
Visit frequency that actually works
Residential gardens generally do well on fortnightly visits. Larger properties, resort grounds, and commercial landscaping usually need weekly visits to stay ahead of growth, especially through the monsoon and immediately after. If a contract proposes monthly visits for anything beyond a very low-maintenance garden, growth will outrun the schedule between visits.
Questions worth asking before signing
What's the visit frequency, specifically — not "regular," an actual number? Is irrigation system servicing included or billed separately? What happens if a visit is missed — is it made up, or lost? And critically: is the same crew assigned consistently, or does it rotate? Continuity matters more than most people expect; a crew that knows your specific garden catches problems a rotating crew misses.
How we structure ours
Our garden and lawn maintenance contracts are scoped after a site visit, not a phone call, with visit frequency set to the property's actual growth rate rather than a standard package. If you're evaluating an AMC — ours or anyone else's — reach out and we're happy to walk through what a fair scope looks like for your specific garden.